Trent Hunter

Connecticut Post writer Mike Fornabaio described Sunday’s game as “… just another day at the office for Rick DiPietro in the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ net.” DiPietro led his smiling teammates off the ice after registering his first shutout in Bridgeport since Dec. 4, 2002. (A 1-0 victory over the Providence Bruins, goal by Trent Hunter)

Recently the NHL canceled regular season games through Oct. 24th, thus pushing back the start date for many teams to the 2013 season. The Islanders have erased six games from their October schedule with the new opening game being set for Friday, October 26th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo Credit: Robert Kowal/Flickr)

This would have been a marquee match-up ten years ago with every Islanders fan having this game circled on their calendars after a bloody, injury filled and violent playoff series with the Leafs in 2002. Those games were the start of the end for some players (Michael Peca) while the dawning of new beginnings for others (Trent Hunter). Steve Webb became a household name that still gets chanted at the Coliseum to this day, and no one will ever forget Eric Cairns' salute to the crowd after pummeling Shayne Corson at center Ice.

The results of the next four games for the New York Islanders will be a good indication of what fans should expect the team to do going forward.

Will Islanders management decide they can make a run this season for one of the last playoffs and look to bolster their roster, maybe picking up a ‘rental’ type player to try to help the present? Or will they decide that 2012-13 is going to be the year it all comes together and decide to trade some veterans and continue to stockpile young talent.

For the rest of the season, I will be taking a look at some players that have been traded/released from the Islanders organization and see if they are helping or hurting their new team and look at the roster move as a whole. Our first player is Trent Hunter.

Ethan Moreau (17) skates off the ice as Mikko Koivu celebrates his first period goal.

The Minnesota Wild are the best team in hockey. Jonathan Quick was not at his best tonight. And well, that’s all you really need to know about last night’s contest from the Staples Center. The Kings fell by a score of 4-2 thanks to two defensive gaffes at the start of the first and second period. Any offense that was mounted by Terry Murray’s bunch was stifled by the outstanding effort from the other net-minder on the ice, 21-year old Matt Hackett.

Dustin Penner (!) netted his second goal of the year 3:59 into the third period of play, which ended Hackett’s shu...

The New York Islanders are in the middle of training camp; plenty of fresh faces are looking to surprise the coaching staff and crack the line-up while a few other seasoned and whithered faces look to continue their NHL career with an impressive tryout.

But what everyone is hoping for is a successful season that will result in the Islanders FINALLY making the playoffs after the slow and steady rebuild began three seasons ago.

Let's take a look at some of the major events that have transpired in Islanders country during the off-season thus far:

The Islanders went into the off-season with a game plan of finding a top-six forward that could help the team transition from the rebuilding phase into a playoff contender. With Marty Reasoner signed to round out the bottom two lines, the Islanders traded oft-injured winger Trent Hunter to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for 18-year veteran Brian Rolston.

Rolston carries a booming slap shot along with an impressive resume that will add veteran leadership and depth to the Islanders line-up.

With training camp just a few weeks away, Rolston called me this afternoon to discuss his expectations for the upcoming year, his experiences with the Devils last season and the potential ...

There had been talk since the start of free agency that the Islanders were going to look to add a top six forward as well as a top four defenseman. So far, General Manager Garth Snow has traded Trent Hunter to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for veteran winger, Brian Rolston. It was seen as mostly a cap floor move as his salary brings them closer to that goal, but he also will provide veteran leadership, a booming slap-shot and a top-six presence as long as he stays healthy.

But the defenseman has yet to be found.

The Islanders went into the off-season with six defenseman already under contract with Mark Streit, Andy MacDonald, Travis Hamonic, Mark Eaton, Mike Mottau and Mil...

It has been five days since the August 1st referendum failed. The vote was tallied at 9 PM after the day concluded in a dramatic fashion. Many Islanders fans and Nassau County residents who went out to vote yes did so in the later part of the afternoon, just as thunderstorms began to cloud the Island. Although it is unlikely that mother nature is to blame for the loss, many voters were stuck on trains that were delayed and didn't make it home in time for the vote.

But at the end of the day, the turn out, as expected was incredibly low. Despite that being the goal, hoping to get many of Long Island's younger voters to push this referendum through, the new arena plan was rejec...

The New York Islanders completed a trade today with the New Jersey Devils, acquiring 38-year old veteran, Brian Rolston in exchange for 31-year old Trent Hunter, an Islanders forward for all of his nine year career in the NHL.

According to TSN, the Islanders have also received a conditional draft pick in 2012 along with Rolston. (EDIT: Scratch that, the pick was taken out of the deal, making it an even swap of Rolston for Hunter)

This trade seems to work well for both teams. The Devils were looking to shed some salary as they are trying to sign RFA forward, Zach Parise before his arbitration hearing. The Islanders, on the other hand, are below the cap floor and are trying to f...